機動警察 パトレイバー (Mobile Police Patlabor)
In the late 1990s, the emergence of advance robotic technology leads to the rise of manual-controlled robots, known as "labors". With more and more "labors" being manufactured and put to everyday use, a new kind of "labors"-related crimes also emerges. To deal with this, the Tokyo police department created the "Special Vehicle" Divison 2 to deal with these new breed of crimes with their own patrol "labors", the "patlabor"...
Mobile Police Patlabor was first released in 1988 as an OVA, which got remade into a TV series in 1989. Also, a movie version, as a sequel to the OVA, was released in 1989, before the TV series. A new OVA sequel to the TV series was made in 1990 following the end of the TV series, and a second movie is released in 1992. The thrid movie (probably the last one) was released in 2001. It remains one of the classic series from the early 1990s.
Links:
WXIII patlabor the Movie 3 @ Bandai Visual (in
Japanese)
Patlabor (1987)
7 episodes OVA
What makes Patlabor one of the best series in the late 1980s is the characters, period. After all, this is a character-driven show, even though we have the mecha. This OVA series lays the ground work for the whole franchise.
Dino's Rating: 9
Will Girls Like It: Possible
機動警察 パトレイバー 劇場版 (1989)
99 minute movie
A new OS for all labors are released, but its author was found dead a few days earlier. With more and more labors going berserk, it is up to Special Vehicle Divison 2 Unit 2 to find out the truth, and prevent the impending doom...
It is simply one of the classic. With good drama and action.
Dino's Rating: 10
Will Girls Like It: Possible
Patlabor (1989 - 1990)
47 episodes TV series
A complete remade of the OVA story.
Dino's Rating: 9
Will Girls Like It: Possible
Patlabor (1990)
16 episodes OVA
Continuing where the TV series left off, this series features the "Griffon" story arc on alternate episodes.
Dino's Rating: 9
Will Girls Like It: Possible
機動警察 パトレイバー ２ the Movie (1993)
107 minutes movie
Three years has passed since the "HOS" event. The original members of the Special Vehicle Division 2 Unit 2 have all moved on with their lives: Noa now works as test pilot with Azuma at Shinohara Heavy Industry. Ohta-san becomes a patlabor instructor, and Shinshi is now promoted. However, a new threat looms against Tokyo from terrorists bend on taking control of the government. Does that mean the AV-98 Ingram, long retired from active duty, will see action one more time?!
A great sequel to the first movie, which by this time, we can safely assume that the movies are not really related to the TV.
Dino's Rating: 10
Will Girls Like It: Possible
機動警察 パトレイバー WXIII (2001)
107 minutes movie
Detectives Kusumi and Hata are assigned to investigate mysterious incidents involving labors around Tokyo Bay. What they are about to find out is way over their heads... time for some help from Special Vehicle Division 2 Unit 2?!
Probably the final one for the franchise. While it is the 3rd movie, its timeline within the franchise is rather unclear. It is clear that the old Unit 2 is already disbanded (as in the second movie), and under any circumstances there is no way that the team will get back together after that. As the movie featured the original Unit 2, so we can deduced that, logicially, WXIII is sometime between first and second movie.
The only thing to complain is that Unit 2 only get the cameo towards the end, but we get to see the best quality of Ingram fight scenes ever, which we cannot ask for more...
Dino's Rating: 7
Will Girls Like It: Possible